Their predecessor, Shane Barber, steps down after a decade to take up a new role
Bird & Bird has announced that Sydney corporate head Chris Clarke and Australian sports practice founder Rich Hawkins will co-lead the firm’s Australian office effective today.
They take over from Shane Barber, who was Australia head of country and managing partner for the past decade.
“It’s an honour to step into this leadership role alongside Rich. We’ve set our sights on ambitious growth across multiple practice areas, and we’re committed to leveraging Bird & Bird’s global reach to bring innovative solutions to clients across Australia and throughout Asia-Pacific. Shane’s unwavering dedication has given us a powerful platform to build upon, and I’m excited to guide our talented team as we seize new opportunities and push our practice forward in this dynamic region”, Clarke said.
Hawkins added that he and Clarke were “excited about delivering on our ambitious plans to be the leading firm in this region in the sectors in which our clients operate including tech, defence, life sciences, sport and retail”. According to Bird & Bird, Clarke and Hawkins’ elevations to the leadership roles were in line with the goal to expand across Australia and the wider APAC region.
As a practitioner, Clarke focuses on M&A, equity capital markets, corporate advisory and securities law. Hawkins is a partner in Bird & Bird’s media, entertainment, and sports group.
Meanwhile, Barber will transition to a new position within the firm – Asia Pacific coordination partner – while maintaining his corporate practice.
“After 10 years leading Bird & Bird Australia and 12 years prior to that leading our predecessor firm, I am excited to capitalise on our well known cross-border strengths and build Bird & Bird’s interconnectedness across Asia-Pacific. We know that this region presents enormous opportunities for our clients and I am keen to accelerate growth between our offices in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Tokyo, Singapore and Sydney”, he said.
